Child Support in Pasco County, Florida

Pasco County child support runs through two tracks. The Florida Department of Revenue Child Support Program establishes and enforces most orders by phone and online. The Sixth Judicial Circuit runs its own track, with a child support hearing officer and family law magistrates who hear cases at the West Pasco Judicial Center in New Port Richey and the Robert D. Sumner Judicial Center in Dade City.

Most parents working with the Department of Revenue never file paperwork with the clerk directly. DOR opens a case after a parent applies online or by phone. The agency's attorneys handle paternity establishment, setting the support amount, and enforcement. Parents who need a hearing on a DOR-initiated case appear before Pasco's dedicated child support hearing officer, William Michael Thornton, at the West Pasco Judicial Center.

Parents whose child support question ties to a divorce or paternity action they filed themselves, rather than a DOR case, generally go before one of the circuit's family law magistrates instead: Diedre Luster at West Pasco or Barbara Casey Goiran at the Dade City courthouse. Every support calculation, on either track, runs on the same statewide guidelines worksheet and financial affidavit forms.

Changing an existing order means filing a Supplemental Petition to Modify, Form 12.905(b), and showing the court a substantial change in circumstances since the last order. Once support is set, payments move through the Florida State Disbursement Unit, not the Pasco Clerk's office.

How child support is calculated in Florida

Florida sets child support with a statewide income shares guideline (Fla. Stat. 61.30) that applies the same way in Pasco County, FL as everywhere else. The guideline combines:

1. Both parents' net incomes, combined into one child support obligation.
2. The number of overnights each parent has with the child (the time-sharing schedule).

The guideline result is presumed correct, and the parties complete a Child Support Guidelines Worksheet along with a Financial Affidavit (Florida Supreme Court approved family law form 12.902(b) or 12.902(c)) so the court can calculate the amount.

Where child support cases are handled in Pasco County, FL

Child support in Pasco County, FL is handled through the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Pasco County, and, for enforcement and establishment cases that do not involve a private attorney, the Florida Department of Revenue Child Support Program, which can open a case at no cost to the parents. There are two common paths:

1. A parent requests support inside a dissolution, paternity, or existing family case by motion, with a Financial Affidavit.
2. The Department of Revenue Child Support Program opens an administrative or court case to establish, collect, and enforce support.

Because courthouse and local agency office details change over time, confirm current details using the Florida court clerk directory:

Find the Pasco County, FL Clerk of Court (Florida court clerk directory)

Local notes for Pasco County, FL

Pasco runs two courthouses, so which office handles your case depends on where you live and where your case was originally filed. West Pasco Judicial Center in New Port Richey serves the western part of the county; hearing officer Thornton and magistrate Luster sit there. The Robert D. Sumner Judicial Center in Dade City serves the eastern side, where magistrate Goiran handles family law matters.

The Department of Revenue runs child support statewide by phone and online, not through a Pasco-specific storefront office, so most parents opening a new IV-D case never visit a physical DOR location. The main number, 850-488-KIDS (5437), and the eServices portal handle applications, case status checks, and payment history for parents anywhere in the county.

The Pasco Legal Resource Center, reachable at 1-800-368-2411, operates out of both judicial centers. Staff there can help a self-represented parent find and fill out Forms 12.902(e), 12.902(b) or (c), and 12.905(b), but they cannot tell a parent what to put on the forms or predict how a judge will rule.

Official child support resources in Pasco County, FL

West Pasco Judicial Center handles child-support filings, located at 7530 Little Road, New Port Richey 34654. Phone: (727) 847-8104. Robert D. Sumner Judicial Center at 38053 Live Oak Avenue handles Family law filings and hearings for the eastern half of the county; child support magistrate Barbara Casey Goiran sits here.

E-filing is available through https://www.myflcourtaccess.com. The Florida Courts E-Filing Portal is mandatory for attorneys; self-represented parents may e-file or bring paper filings to either the West Pasco Judicial Center or the Robert D. Sumner Judicial Center in Dade City.

Sixth Circuit Self-Help / Pasco Legal Resource Center (https://www.jud6.org/representing-yourself-in-court/) can help with procedure and paperwork. Locations at West Pasco Judicial Center and the Pasco County Courthouse in Dade City; phone 1-800-368-2411. Staff help locate and explain forms but cannot give legal advice.

• Florida Child Support Program Contact
• Sixth Circuit Hearing Officers & Magistrates
• Sixth Circuit Self-Help / Representing Yourself
• Florida Courts E-Filing Portal
• Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller

Local details reviewed August 2026. Offices and locations can change, so confirm with the official sites above before you file.

Pasco County, FL Child Support FAQs